Spring is in full swing.  Why not whip up a batch of these light, airy delights to fill your cookie jar?  This recipe is a snap to complete and requires little preparation time.  Just mix and drop and you've got one delicious cookie for a quick dessert tonight.

1 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
                                                                    1 tsp. baking powder
                                                                    2 cups flaked coconut
                                                                    1 cup quick-cooking oats
                                                                    3/4 cups walnuts toasted, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar till ight and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Add flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder all at once and beat into creamed mixture.  Stir in coconut, oats, and walnuts,

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until light and brown. 

It's Memorial Day and if you're looking for a quick treat to add to your Memorial Day celebration, then don't forget the jello.  Get in the kitchen and whip this one up now, and there'll still be time to let it set!  

For over a century, Jell-O has been a part of American culture and, according to a 1904 edition of the Ladies Home Journal, “America’s Favorite Dessert” (conveniently enough named such in an advertisement paid for by Jell-O before anyone was really buying it all). That said, ever since then it really has been one of the most popular deserts in America!


2 boxes Jello (red) (I use cherry)
1 sm. crushed pineapple in its own juice
2 cans whole berry cranberry sauce
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 c. hot water, boiling
Chopped pecans, optional


Mix Jello in hot water. Then add 2 cans cranberry sauce. Stir until dissolved. Pour half in long pan or dish. Chill until set. Cover remaining and leave set out. After first half is chilled, take softened cream cheese and pineapple and juice. Mix together with fork. Spread on top of first half, sprinkle with chopped pecans (if desired). Pour last half of Jello mixture on top gently. Chill until set. Great with turkey or ham.

You're gonna get busy, that's a fact soon, as the summer months begin their slow creep forwards inundating our days with pleasurable activities to share with our families.  Some of us will be relying heavily upon frozen dinner entries to fill our meals.  Why not make one yourself that is exempt from preservatives and freezes well?

This is a great stew that can be taken out of the freezer, water added, and nuked or heated slowly on the stove top for a delicious, quick, and easy meal.  This will make 5 batches of stew that can be frozen over the summer months and reheated when needed.  Best part is, it can be made in your slow cooker therefore not overheating your house.


                                                               2 lbs. ground beef     
                                                               2 medium onions chopped
                                                               4 cans (14 1/2 oz.) stewed tomatoes, undrained
                                                               8 medium carrots, thinly sliced
                                                               4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
                                                               2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
                                                               2 cups water
                                                               1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
                                                               1-2 tab. salt
                                                               1 tab. pepper

Additional ingredient for each batch:
1 cup water

In a dutch oven fry meat and drain.  Place in slow cooker and top with remaining ingredients except rice.  Set cooker on low setting and cook for 5-6 hours.  Add rice, allow slow cooker to cook one hour longer.

Freeze in 3 cup portions.  When a batch is needed, take out and thaw in refrigerator and add the 1 cup of water when reheating.  

Sunday dinners are what make memories.  No matter what may be going on around you, solidify peace with a homemade meal.  Nothing speaks love more than creating a sit-down family meal that everyone can toss off their shoes and enjoy.  

Ground meat sales have hit the stores!  I was browsing Aldi and noted ground beef packages for $2.49 a pound. Now is the season to include some delicious meatloaf to your fare.  The recipe below is quick and thrifty using ingredients you have on hand already.

This satisfying family favorite never goes out of style. Made from an old world style recipe featuring home style spices and tomato ketchup. Why not wrap leftover slices for a quick-frozen delight?  You can than make future great meat loaf sandwiches or a quick and easy dinner. Just heat in the microwave and enjoy.

2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup crushed saltines
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
4 tab. ketchup
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 pd. ground beef

Sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 packed brown sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl combine first seven ingredients.  Add beef and mix lightly.  Shape into an 8x4  in. loaf and place on a 15x10x1 baking pan.  


In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients, stirring to dissolve.  Place all but 1/2 cup mixture on top of meatloaf.  Bake 1 hour.  Serve with remaining sauce.  

These were simply amazing.  I have to admit I was a bit deterred when it called for mustard and Worcestershire sauce, but they came out so delicious I will be utilizing this recipe often in the upcoming summer months.  It's quick, thrifty, and simple to make.  Furthermore, pork has been on sale at Winn Dixie for as little as $1.99 a pound.  So stock up, ensuring you have enough to meet your summer needs.

Pork Chop Selection Tips  

• Color and appearance: The color of the meat should be pale pink. Never buy pork that appears iridescent. The fat should be bright white; it should never be yellow or brown. For bone-in chops, the bone should look fresh. The end of the bone should be red and white and there should be no discoloration or brownish hue anywhere. For boneless chops, you should have a uniform fat cap around half of the chop. These should be less fatty and they should be cut uniformly.
  
• Fat: Some fat should be speckled throughout the chop. This is called marbling.  
• Smell: Chops should always smell fresh. There should be no foul or strong odor present.
• Pre-packaged: Always pick a pre-cut chop that has no tears in the package. Look at the date. Try and find chops that are as many days from expiration as you can. The fresher the better. There should be no liquid in the bottom of the package and there should be no appearance of a slimy film. The flesh should be moist and bounce back when you press on it.
• Custom cuts: If you are selecting from a butcher case, always ask to see the chops before they are wrapped. You want to smell them and look at them to ensure optimal freshness. Tell the butcher what you plan to do with them. Your butcher will guide you on what you need. If you don’t see what you want – ask for help.

1 - 2 pd. pork chops
1 1/2 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. mustard

Sprinkle pork chops with seasoning.  In a large skillet cook pork chops about 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Remove from pan.

Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard to skillet.  Cook to loosen pork bits and stir.  Return pork chops to pan and cook on low an additional 20 minutes.  Turning twice while cooking.  

This is a fantastic recipe to pop in the oven after a long day.  This will not make that soupy rice mess you usually get from a standard chicken and rice recipe.  Get home in enough time to pop this in the oven for 1 1/2 hours and you'll have a complete meal at the end of the day.  This take approximately 10 minutes of prep time and you can go about the remainder of your household duties while this bakes away sending fragrant wafts of dinner pleasure throughout your house.  

Chicken and rice is a tasty entree that is easy to make, and it will not work against you in your efforts to keep your calorie intake down. To make this dish, thoroughly cook six pieces of chicken as per the recipe below.

There are about 448 calories in a serving of homemade chicken and rice. One serving contains a cup of rice and one skinless, 3-oz. chicken breast, or 3 oz. of meat from a skinless chicken leg. Chicken and rice contains 7 g of fat in total, 2 g of saturated fat and 49 mg of cholesterol. The vegetables in chicken and rice contain very little calories.  

1 1/2 cups raw rice
1 envelope dry onion mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup, or strain the broth from a can of chicken and noodles, discarding noodles
1 1/2 cans water
4 pieces chicken - legs and thigh intact
salt and pepper

Spread rice in 9 x 13 inch pan, greased. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over rice. Mix together soup and water. Pour over rice mixture in pan. Arrange raw chicken pieces over the top and cover with tin foil.  Bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on chicken. Last 20 minutes of baking remove foil.  

Yesterday was one of those days.  I was racing around completing errands that I was unable to complete throughout the week.  Racing to get a workout in to ensure my body deflates enough by summer to warrant a bathing suit.  Racing to get grocery shopping done to fill my empty refrigerator for next week.  And racing to come up with a quick dinner idea that harbored very little prep and possibly a bit of leftovers for the following day.

I happened to be at Walmart and finally stopped dead in my tracks for the moment eyeing some pork loin strip roasts that were reduced for quick sale.  There I stumbled upon two 2-3 pound roasts marked down to $2.45 a piece. Now, I'm a bit picky when it comes to reduced products.  Who knows how long they've been hanging around in the cooler?  But these passed a lengthily inspection looking pink enough to place in the cart.  My mind was a whirl  thinking of the possibilities for a quick dinner fix.  On my way out I spied the $1 loaves of Italian bread, and I was set!

This is one of those "liberal sprinkle" recipes.  One of those "gotta fix it quick" and move on to more important duties like mopping.  So it really depends on how much sprinkling you like of each ingredient.  Just go to town and you'll be pleasantly surprised of the outcome.

1 - 2 small sirloin strip pork roasts
Garlic salt
Pepper
Salt
Cane sugar or brown sugar
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper

Place pork roasts in baking pan.  Set oven for 375 degrees.  Liberally douse the roast with the above ingredients to your specifications and taste preferences.  Put on each ingredient in the order it is listed.  Pop in the oven and bake for 1 1/2  hours.  Take out and slice into sandwich style slices.

Place meat on Italian bread and top with provolone cheese and any other desired condiments or toppings.